Summary
- Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve confirms that a deleted scene involving Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck playing the Baliset will be included in the sequel.
- The Baliset is a musical instrument that holds cultural significance to the Fremen, the desert-dwelling people of Arrakis, and serves as a symbol of their creativity and traditions.
- Gurney Halleck’s skill with the Baliset adds depth to his character, as he is both a warrior and a minstrel, showcasing the richness and authenticity of the world created by Frank Herbert.
Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve says the sequel revives a deleted scene involving Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck and the Baliset. The Oscar-nominated actor was introduced in 2021’s Dune as Gurney Halleck, the weapons master of House Atreides and a mentor to the main protagonist Paul (Timothée Chalamet). The first of the two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-novel received much praise for its epic scope, ambition, and thrilling visuals. However, one minor detail didn’t make it into the movie which audiences and Villeneuve were sad to see missing.
Soon after the Dune: Part Two release date was delayed, Villeneuve revealed in an interview with Empire that the sequel will see Gurney Halleck playing the Baliset. After a similar scene was shot and cut from the first movie, the director confirmed that another moment involving Gurney Halleck playing the musical instrument made it into Part Two. Read what Villeneuve revealed below:
The Gurney song survived Part Two! It became a weird priority for me. But Josh Brolin is a poet and we played it together. It was awesome.
What Is The Baliset In Dune?
In Herbert’s sci-fi series, the Baliset is a musical instrument that holds much cultural significance to the Fremen, the desert-dwelling people on the planet Arrakis. The Fremen are known for their deep cultural connection and artistic expression, and the Baliset is one way they express their creativity and traditions. A stringed instrument resembling a guitar, the Baliset produces haunting and soulful-sounding music that is used by the Fremen to convey emotions, tell stories, and preserve their history. In the story, the Baliset serves as a symbol of the Fremen’s capacity for creativity, contrasted with their challenging environment on Arrakis.
Halleck, who is deeply connected to Fremen culture, is perhaps the most proficient Baliset player. His skill with the instrument adds depth to the character who used to be a minstrel. In fact, it is Halleck’s skill as a warrior and minstrel that makes him so unique. As Duncan Idaho says, “He could be killing you while he was singing and never miss a note.” The Baliset is also an example of how Herbert weaves cultural elements into his narrative, adding richness and authenticity to the world he created, which should continue to be represented in Dune: Part Two.
Source: Empire
